The Global Faculty Grants Program (GFGP) offers professional development and research support to faculty in the social sciences and humanities in select countries of the former Soviet Union, the Middle East, Afghanistan, and Nepal to visit Western universities.
Through two distinct lines of support, the Academic Sabbatical Support awards and the Research/Publication support awards, GFGP is designed to:
- encourage the pursuit of and continued engagement with academic careers;
- generate new approaches to curricular and pedagogical practice;
- support the creation of internationally peer-reviewed scholarship;
- boost the quality of teaching and research in the social sciences and humanities; and
- build and sustain local and international academic networks.
GFGP offers two distinct awards:
Academic Sabbatical Support awards
Academic Sabbatical Support awards offers academics the experience of immersion in an alternative academic setting, where they are given the space and freedom to focus on their intellectual development, while benefitting from the guidance and collaboration of an established academic mentor.
Academic Sabbatical awards last for nine months (2013–2014 academic year) and are offered to academics in Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia,Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, and Tajikistan who fulfill the following criteria:
- junior or mid-career academics clearly dedicated to a career in higher education whose professional trajectory has not peaked and whose position allows them to implement curricular changes in the classroom;
- ideally hold a full-time teaching position at a reform-minded department in a strong public or private institution;
- have substantive teaching experience in their area of academic expertise within the social sciences and humanities; and
- hold (or be in the final stages of completing) a Doctoral degree (those holding a Master’s degree may be considered).
Fellows are encouraged to improve their research methodology using resources unavailable at home and collaborating with international colleagues on research projects. Particular emphasis is placed on the intersection of teaching and research: grantees are encouraged to incorporate their research into their teaching, thereby enriching the learning experience of their students.
OSF will place fellows at a suitable institution in a Western university according to the research interests of the grantee.
Research/Publication awards
Research/Publication awards are available to academics from Afghanistan,Armenia, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Georgia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,Lebanon, Mongolia, Nepal, Palestine, Syria, Tajikistan, and Tunisia to give them the time, space and resources necessary to conduct research leading to publication in an internationally-recognized peer reviewed journal. The award provides research visits of up to five months to any accredited higher education institution worldwide.
Research/Publication award applicants should:
- hold a doctorate (PhD) or its equivalent;
- occupy a full-time position at a university with regular teaching responsibilities;
- demonstrate language ability sufficient for the desired university placement;
- have an established record of academic achievements, including publications in area of specialization within the social sciences and humanities;
- be able to propose a persuasive and well-planned research project to be completed during the fellowship; and
- secure an invitation letter from a hosting university scholar (OSF plays no part in brokering placements for this award).
Employees of the Open Society Foundations and employees of local administering organizations (and their immediate family members), who are directly involved in the administration of scholarships are not eligible; nor are individuals receiving other Open Society Foundations funded fellowship support.
Detailed guidelines and instructions on applying can be downloaded fromwww.opensocietyfoundations.org.
All application forms should be submitted to the local country coordinator listed in the documents for both the Academic Sabbatial Support and Research/Publication awards.
Academic Sabbatical Support award applicants should download and submit all completed forms to the local coordinator by February 25, 2013:
- Academic Sabbatical Support Guidelines
- Academic Sabbatical Support Application Form
- Academic Sabbatical Support Recommendation Form
Research/Publication award applicants should download and submit all completed forms to the local country coordinator by April 1, 2013:
- Research/Publication Awards Guidelines
- Research/Publication Awards Application Form
- Research/Publication Awards Host University Form
- Research/Publication Awards Recommendation Form
For all queries please contact Anna Gevorgyan at the address below:
Open Society Foundations-Armenia
anna@osi.am; tel: 010 533862
www.osi.am